SEC Tournament 2012: Odds for Every Team to Win SEC Championship

It is conference tournament time around the country, and the March Madness bug is starting to bite basketball-crazed fans from all over.

Down in the SEC, there is a particular team that wears blue and is loaded with blue-chip freshman who may field the best all-around squad in the country. 

Including the Kentucky Wildcats, here are the odds and predictions on how every team in the SEC tournament will show later this week in New Orleans.

No. 5 Seed: Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama ended the season winning four out of five, but a loss to Ole Miss this past Saturday had to have left a bad taste in their mouths.

Anthony Grant has to be proud of his team after finishing with a 9-7 record in conference play. 

The Tide does face a South Carolina team in the first round of the SEC tournament on Thursday—a team they lost to in Columbia by two points back on January 25.

This time, barring another huge upset, should be a win for Alabama.

If the Crimson Tide can win one or two games in the SEC tournament, consider them a lock for an NCAA at-large bid.

Odds: 15 to 1

No. 9 Seed: Arkansas Razorbacks

The Hogs stumbled to a 6-10 conference record, losing eight of their last 11 games of the regular season.

They open up the tournament against the eighth-seed LSU in New Orleans, which doesn't look good for Arkansas.

Anywhere outside of Fayetteville has been dangerous territory, as they have only won one game away from home (stealing one against Auburn Feb. 25).

Freshman BJ Young could cause quite a commotion in the tournament, but don't expect much else from the Hogs.

An early out in the tournament seems to be expected.

Odds: 50 to 1

No. 10 Seed: Auburn Tigers

Auburn seemed to match expectations this season, finishing in the bottom of the pack in the SEC, as usual, with a 15-15 record.

They were able to steal a couple wins against conference opponents but didn't make too much of a splash—much like their future in the SEC tournament this weekend.

The last time Auburn won an SEC conference tournament was back in 1985, and it doesn't seem like it will happen again anytime soon.

Odds: 500 to 1

No. 4 Seed: Florida Gators

The Gators have experienced quite an up-and-down season.

They ended up losing their last three games by 10 or more points and fell into a three-way tie for second place in the SEC.

The Gators will play the victor of the Alabama-South Carolina game, teams they went 3-0 against in the regular season.

Florida's successes this season have shown where streaky shooting can get you.

When a team takes as many threes as Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton and Bradley Beal do, some are bound to go in. But when they don't, it could be bad news for the Gators.

This is a team that is destined for the conference semifinals, but maybe not much further.

Odds: 8 to 1

No. 11 Seed: Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia had some bright spots in a rather forgettable season, including the arrival of star freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Georgia posted wins against Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi State in conference play, but couldn't show consistency the entire season.

The Bulldogs will have a hard time making it past Mississippi State in the first round, a team that is on the bubble and playing for a possible NCAA tournament bid. 

Odds: 75 to 1

No. 1 Seed: Kentucky Wildcats

The all-around favorite and the No. 1 team in the country hasn't seen a loss in conference play yet and will most likely make it through the SEC tournament unscathed.

This Kentucky team may be the best in recent memory, and freshman Anthony Davis is a Player of the Year candidate. 

The only teams that have really posed any threat to the the Wildcats this season in conference play were Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Alabama.

But Kentucky has since grown to play even better together and is ready to dominate the SEC tournament.

Expect the Wildcats to make a deep postseason run, which may even include a national championship.

Odds: 6 to 5

No. 8 Seed: LSU Tigers

LSU finished the season on a three-game losing streak, including an ugly 24-point loss to Ole Miss on Feb. 25.

They play their opening-round game against Arkansas, with a chance on the line to face the mighty Kentucky Wildcats.

It doesn't seem like the Tigers will be able to make much of an impact in the SEC tournament this weekend—they would need to pull off a big upset on Friday in order to even have a minuscule shot at the title.

Odds: 50 to 1

No. 7 Seed: Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels are probably the biggest question mark in terms of where they stand with the NCAA tournament.

An 8-8 conference record makes them hard to predict, so winning a few conference tournament games is almost a necessity.

The opening game against Auburn should be easy, and the Rebels probably could use a win against Tennessee on Friday to ensure a tournament berth. 

Odds: 40 to 1

No. 6 Seed: Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have been the one of the more up-and-down teams in the SEC all season.

Despite losing five games in a row during a stretch in February, Mississippi State is still in a prime position for a NCAA tournament bid thanks to a strong strength of schedule.

They don't have quite the firepower to hang with some of the higher-tier teams in the conference, but could still cause a stir in New Orleans this weekend.

Odds: 25 to 1

No. 12 Seed: South Carolina Gamecocks

The cellar-dweller of the SEC this season, South Carolina has had some trouble finding success in conference play, only winning two games. 

Expect the conference tournament to follow the same pattern, as the Gamecocks are likely to suffer a loss from Alabama in the first round.

Odds: 1,000 to 1

No. 2 Seed: Tennessee Volunteers

Cuonzo Martin has exceeded expectations in his first year as head coach for the Volunteers, as his team finished up the regular season clinching the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament.

They finished the season as the hottest team in the conference, winning eight of their last nine games down the stretch.

They came the closest to knocking off Kentucky in conference play (only losing by three) and have been dangerous of late.

The Vols may not be the team to beat, but they could still stir things up a bit in the SEC tournament.

Odds: 10 to 1

No. 3 Seed: Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores appear to have the best shot at knocking off Kentucky, as John Jenkins has shown he is one of the best players in the conference lately.

The scoring guard is a dangerous shooter from behind the arc, shooting about 46 percent from three-point range.

They lost out in the three-way tie for the No. 2 seed, but that shouldn't slow them down.

Anything less than a trip to the final game of the SEC tournament should be considered a disappointment for the Commodores. 

They are arguably the second-best team in the conference.

Odds: 5 to 1